Fighter Reloaded

Written by Martin K.

In the words of classic D&D: The fighter is a warrior, an expert in weapons and, if he is clever, tactics and strategy. There are many famous fighter from legend: Hercules, Perseus, Hiawatha, Beowulf, Siegfried, Cuchulain, Little John, Tristan, and Sinbad. History is crowded with great generals and warriors: El Cid, Hannibal, Alexander the Great, Charlemagne, Spartacus, Richard the Lionheart, and Belisarius. Your fighter could be modeled after any of these, or he could be unique. A visit to your local library can uncover many heroic fighters.

Play Style: As it says right on the tin, you fight. Shield in the left hand, sword in the right. Or a big, two-handed axe, or whirling double scimitars, or bow and arrow. Whatever your style, you are there, weapons ready, to fight for your ideals, to protect your friends. When you ride into battle, each and every one of them could be your last, but you are determined to go down standing upright. No magic tricks, no sneaking around, no higher powers to back you up, just honest grit, guile, and steel. That's why they call you The Fighter.

Ability Scores: Your core ability scores are Strength to bash in skulls and Constitution to stay alive, and you get a +2 bonus to either (as long as it's not your racial bonus). Aside from these, you'll find that some of your talents make use of other ability scores.

Races: All races have bred fighters, but humans, dwarves, half-orcs and warforged are particularly known for them.

Backgrounds: kicked out of the night watch, wrestled a dragon once, feisty Amazon, king of the tavern brawl, studied unter Felathiir the fencing master, farm boy born under a twin moon

Icons: The largest most famous organized armies in the Dragon Empire serve the Emperor and the Crusader. Of course, the Dwarf King and the Elf Queen also have troops and guards serving them. The Great Gold Wyrm's troops are led by Paladins, but not all who follow him have divine powers. The Shadow Prince has no force openly serving him, but mercenary types sure appreciate when he brokers their next job. The horde of the Orc Lord is a wild mix that includes barbarians and other more savage combatants, but he sure has fighters in his ranks too. The Three employ fighters to keep order in Drakkenhall, while the many faiths in Santa Cora have temple guards. When the Lich King recruits his soldiers, he does so on the battlefield ... after the looters have left.

Gear

Fighters who have seen real battle prefer simple but practical and robust gear. Their personal weapon and armor of choice become almost extensions of themselves, to the point that they give them names.

In your pockets, you start with 25 gp, or 1d6 x 10 gp if you are the soldier of fortune type.

Armor

Unless you choose talents that favor a lighter armored style, you'll want the best protection that you can get your hands on. No question there.

Fighter Armor and AC

Type

Base AC

Attack Penalty

None

10

-

Light

13

-

Heavy

15

-

Shield

+1

-

Weapons

You excel with any type of weapon, as is expected of a Fighter. Your Weapon Mastery class feature increases your damage die with any type of weapon by one step, compared to other classes.

Fighter Melee Weapons

Size

One-Handed

Two-Handed

Unarmed

1d4 fists, kicks

-

Small

1d4 knife

1d6 staff

Light or Simple

1d6 short sword

1d8 spear

Heavy or Martial

1d8 longsword, scimitar

1d10 greatsword

Fighter Ranged Weapons

Size

Thrown

Crossbow

Bow

Small

1d4 dagger

1d4 hand crossbow

-

Light or Simple

1d6 javelin, axe

1d6 light crossbow

1d6 shortbow

Heavy

-

1d8 heavy crossbow

1d8 longbow

Basic Attacks

Real fighting men don't deal miss damage. However, you're more likely to hit thanks to your Base Attack Bonus class feature. For thrown weapons, you can use your Strength instead of Dexterity to determine attack and damage.

Class features

Base Attack Bonus

There are many classes that wield weapons, but none are so single-mindedly focused on perfecting every swing, slash and thrust. When it comes to just the basic steel against steel, you are always one step ahead.

You gain a +1 bonus to melee and ranged attacks. This bonus is already added to the basic attack and attack power writeups.

Percentile Strength

Compared to other classes, you gain a higher Strength multiplier to damage two levels earlier. A high Strength score just means more when you are a fighter.

Bend Bars and Lift Gates

When you make a Strength-based skill check, roll twice and take the better result. Fighters do the heavy lifting. Literally.

Adventurer feat: When you start a combat by kicking in a door, add your Strength modifier to your Initiative roll.

Passive Talent / Combat Style

Your talents come in one of two types, passive and combat style. Passive talent provide an ongoing bonus that you don't need to activate.

Combat styles, however, you need to activate. You can only get one such bonus at a time, and you activate or switch styles at the start of your turn as a free action.

Most styles also give you a power. See the action type and effect in each power's description. For passive styles, you always have access to the power, whereas for combat styles, you can only use the power of your active style.

Note that switching in and out of a style does not "reset" it. Once you used a "once per battle" power of a style, that power is expended. You can switching styles and use a different "once per battle" power however.

Adventurer Talents

The Classic Fighter is a talent-focused class. Unlike the talent-focused classes in the core book, individual talents aren't quite as powerful, but you gain almost twice as many.

Alertness [Passive]

You have spent years in the city watch, as a guard of a palace or temple, or on guard duty as a soldier. You gain a 5 point background to represent that training. Among other practical skills, this has taught you to stay awake even on long, uneventful watches, and always keep your eyes open for potential danger.

Passive bonus: Add your Constitution to initiative rolls when the party is attacked during a resting period.

Adventurer feat: Roll twice on Constitution-based skill checks to avoid falling asleep, or to wake up immediately and be combat ready.

Battlefield Archer [Combat Style]

Threatening Volley

Effect: The opponent must make a save (11+). On a failure, the enemy cannot engage the ally. If the save is a natural odd roll, make a ranged attack against the enemy as a free action.

Adventurer feat:You can use this power against an opponent attempting to make a ranged or close quarters attack against an ally.

Champion feat:Add your dexterity modifier to the save difficulty.

Epic feat: You can use this power at-will.

Combat Superiority [Passive]

Passive bonus: Enemies take a penalty to disengage from you equal to your Wisdom.

Deadly Opportunity

Opportunity Attack; once per battle

Special: Increase your critical threat range by your Wisdom

Attack: Strength + level vs. AC

Hit: WEAPON + Strength damage.

Adventurer feat: If the attack is not a critical hit, regain this power.

Champion feat: When you regain this power, increase your critical threat range with it by +3.

Epic feat: On a hit, the target is hampered until the end of its next turn.

Expert Flanking [Combat Style]

Style bonus: When you flank an enemy (you are engaged with the same opponent as an ally), both of you gain a +1 bonus to attacks against that enemy. That enemy also suffers a penalty to disengage checks equal to your intelligence.

Epic feat: When an ally engages an opponent you are already engaged with, you can use Flanking Strike as an immediate reaction.

Great Fortitude [Passive]

Passive bonus: Add your Constitution to saving throws.

Adventurer feat: Add your Constitution to death saves.

Champion feat: Save against ongoing damage at the start of your turn instead of at the end.

Epic feat: You can make all saves at the start of your turn.

Shake it Off

No action; once per battle

Trigger: You are hit with an effect that a save can end

Effect: Make a save against the effect.

Inspiring Leader [Passive]

Passive bonus: When you rally, grant all nearby allies temporary hit points equal to your Charisma. Double this at 5th level, triple it at 8th.

Rallying Strike

Standard action OR quick action after you rally; once per battle

Melee attack

Attack: Strength + level vs. AC

Hit: WEAPON + Strength damage. Give a nearby ally a bonus to his or her next attack roll equal to your Charisma.

Adventurer feat: Hit or miss, the ally can spend a recovery to heal as a free action.

Champion feat: On a critical hit, your own and the ally's recoveries are free.

Epic feat: On a hit, grant the attack bonus to all allies.

Mobility [Passive]

Passive bonus: Add your Dexterity to disengage checks.

Mad Dash

Move action; once per battle

Effect: Engage a far away enemy.

Adventurer feat: Add your Dexterity to melee attacks against the opponent you engaged on the same turn.

Champion feat: If the attack hits, roll damage twice and take the higher result.

Epic feat: Grant an ally a move action to engage the same enemy.

Overwhelming Force [Combat Style]

Style bonus: On a hit, deal 1 point of extra damage. If you wield a two-handed weapon, deal extra damage equal to your Constitution instead. Double this bonus at 5th level, triple it at 8th.

Headcrack

Melee attack; Once per battle

Attack: Strength + level vs. AC

Hit: WEAPON + Strength damage, and the target is dazed until the start of your next turn.

Adventurer feat: The target is weakened instead.

Champion feat: If the escalation die is 3+, the effect is save ends instead.

Epic feat: While the target is weakened, it's also vulnerable to your attacks.

Shield Ally [Combat Style]

Style bonus: Choose a nearby ally. You grant the chosen ally a +2 bonus to AC. The bonus increases to +3 if you carry a shield.

While this combat style is active, you are always considered engaged with the same opponents. If your ally disengages from an opponent, you can choose to either pop free and keep the style active, or stay engaged and end the style. If you disengage, the style also ends.

Champion feat: You also grant the defense bonus to PD.

Epic feat: Once per round, your ally can disengage as a free action.

Defensive Riposte

Immediate Reaction; once per battle

Trigger: A nearby enemy misses your ally with an attack

Attack: Strength + level vs. AC

Hit: WEAPON + Strength damage

Adventurer feat: You can use this power once per turn.

Shield Specialization [Combat Style]

You must be wielding a shield to benefit from this combat style.

Style bonus: Gain a +2 bonus to defense against ranged and close quarters attacks.

Adventurer feat: Also gain a +2 bonus to AC against opportunity attacks.

Champion feat: When an enemy attack forces you to pop free from an opponent, you can choose not to.

Full Turtle

Quick action; once per battle

Effect: Until the end of your next turn, gain resist ranged and close quarters attacks 16+.

Epic feat: Grant the bonus to one nearby ally

Champion Talents

Defensive Fighting [Combat Style]

Style bonus: Add the escalation die as a bonus to your all defenses. While using this style, you don't add the escalation die to attack rolls.

Epic Talents

Always Ready [Passive]

Passive bonus: You can always use the powers associated with your chosen combat style talents, even the combat style is not active.

Epic feat: Regain the use of one once per battle power when you use the rally action.

Combined Styles [Passive]

For one battle per day, you can have two combat styles active and benefit from both. If both styles provide a bonus to the same thing, such as to hit with an attack, only the higher bonus applies. You can still only switch one style per turn.

Epic feat: You can switch both active styles during your turn.

Hold the Line [Combat Style]

Style bonus: Gain resist all 16+.

Each time an opponent overcomes the resistance, lower it by 2 points until the end of battle.

Epic feat: The resistance starts at 18+.

Wall Off

Quick action; once per battle

Until the start of your next turn, enemies engaged with you cannot take move actions.

Calm Steel [Combat Style]

You have achieved perfect control of your surroundings on the battlefield. You are at complete calm, like a rock in the midst of a storming sea. When you move, it's only to punish the slightest mistake of your opponents.

Style bonus: When a nearby opponent misses you with an attack, that opponent draws an attack of opportunity from you.

While in this style, you can't use your standard action to attack.

Bursting Volcano

Melee attack; once per battle; ignore this style's restriction against attacking as a standard action

Target: A number of nearby enemies equal to the escalation die

Attack: Strength + level vs. AC

Hit: WEAPON + Strength damage. If you hit all targets, increase the escalation die by 1.